Air conditioning and circulating device



Jan. 10, 1933. w, CONLEY 1,894,085

AIR CONDITIONING AND CIRCULATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Shet1 dawns Jan. 10, 1933. A. w. CONLEY I 1,394,085

AIR CONDITIONING AND CIRCULATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 3, 1931 2Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuewtoz ARTHUR M GOA LE) Patented Jan. 13, 1933 PATENTFFICE ARTHUR W. CONLEY, 0F SHAKER HEIGHTS, OI-IIO AIR CONDITIONING ANDCIBCULATIN'G DEVICE Application filed. August 3, 1931.

This invention relates to a device for conditioning and circulating air.

The principal object of the invention is to provide such a device whichis of simpler construction and more efficient operation than similarpreceding devices. A further object is to provide in a generally flatfan housing a fan and a humidifying element which is also generally flatand disposed in substantial parallelism with said fan. A further objectis to provide a superior means for supplying moisture to the humidifyingelement. Other and more limited objects will appear from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying draw- Fig 1 is acentral vertical sectional view of one-half of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan View of a quadrant thereof; Fig. 3 is adetail vertical sectional view of the moisture elevating device showingits connection with the fan and fan motor; and Fig. 4 is a horizontalsectional view on a reduced scale and taken between the fan and fanmotor.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals referto corresponding parts in the several views, the numeral A refers to asupporting pedestal which may be provided with an ornamental base, notshown. Supported on the pedestal A is a receptacle B adapted to containwater or any other volatile liquid or solution desired. Removablysupported on the receptacle B is the air circulating and conditioningassembl C.

The assembly C includes a fan housing indicated generally by the numeral10, a fan motor 11 supported thereby, a fan 12 carried by the armatureshaft 13 of the motor 11, a centrifugal liquid elevating means 14 alsocarried by the armature shaft 13 and a humidifying element indicatedgenerally by the numeral 15 and supported by the lower inturned edge 16of the fan housing 10. Attached to the outside of the fan housing at thelower edge are supporting lugs 17 provided with curved lower edges 18adapting them to fit over and rest upon the outwardly curved upper edge19 of the receptacle B.

Serial No. 554,651.

The fan housing 10 is a generally fiat hollow structure preferablycomposed of sheet metal and having a dish-like lower portion 20 providedwith the inturned edge 16 already referred to and an inwardly andupwardly concaved upper portion 21 terminating in an inwardly anddownwardly turned bead 22. The bead 22 is bent or spun over andpreferably welded or otherwise securely attached to the upper edge of aflange 24 of the top wall member 23. The top wall member 23 will beprovided with a plurality of louvers 25 affording easy passage for airtherethrough A depressed inner portion 26 may be provided for thereception of the motor 11 to which such inner portion may be attached asby screws 27. The motor shaft 13 is provided with a collar 28 to whichthe fan element 12 is secured as by screws 29. Extending downwardlybelow the collar 28 is a member 30 which may be a continuation of theshaft 13 and which is provided at its lower end with projections 31adapted to engage the walls of the member 14 at spaced points and to besecured thereto as by a screw 32 passing through the member 14 andentering recesses 33 in the members 31. It is to be understood that anydesirable number of the projections 31 may be provided but that it isessential that they do not materially obstruct the passage of water orother liquid upwardly through the member 14.

The humidifying element 15 comprises a pair of in*-- er and outer ringmembers 34 and 35, each of which has a toothed edge, connected togetherby members 36 secured thereto as by soldering or welding and wick means37 wound back and forth over the teeth of the ring members 34 and 35. Itwill be understood that the rings 34 and will preferably have the samenumber of teeth. It will be noted that the teeth on the inner ringmember 34 are somewhat higher than those on the member 35 whereby thewick means 37 has a slightly downward slope and that the upper edge ofthe conical member 14 is positioned substantially at the level of thelower edge of the inner extremities of the various convolutions of thewick means 37. As will be clear from Fig. 4 the spaces between the teethof the inner ring member are substantially filled by the wick. By thisarrangement water is delivered in droplets by centrifugal action uponthe inner portions of wick and against the ring member 34 which extendsa material distance downwardly and terminates in teeth 38. By thisarrangement the inner portions of the convolutions of wick are kept wet,all excess moisture beyond that able to be conducted along the wick fromthe wet inner ends running down the ring 34 and dripping from the teeth38 back into the receptacle B. The slight downward inclination of thewick 37 permits some gravity action in the feeding of moisturetherealong well as preventing water from being delivered to any portionthereof except the inner ends which are directly exposed to the drop tsthrown out from the periphery of the upper flange 39 of the member 14.By a proper adjustnjient of the inclination of the wick means 37 agreater or less amount of water can be caused to flow outwardly. It ishighly desirable tiat not enough water should flow along the wick 37 toresult in dripping irom the lower ends thereof and consequently from thelower edge 16 of the fan housing 10, since such action might result indrops of water being carried out of the device by the air current whichpasses outwardly between the fan housing and the upper edge or" thereceptacle B. The outer ring 35 may be continuous i1 is somewhatflexible to allow for springing into position through the open bottom ofthe fan housing 10. Optionally it may have a gap of two or three degreesof are between the ends to allow for convenient compression forinsertion into the fan housing.

In operation, the motor 11 rotates at ahigher rate of speed in such adirection as to cause the fan 12 which is carried by the armaturethereof to throw a current of air downwardly through the louver-s 25 inthe fan housing 10, through the wick means 37 and out through the spacebetween the fan housing and the receptacle B at a slightly upward angle.At the same time the cone 14 which rotates with the motor shaft 13 willby centrifugal action elevate water from the receptacle B and dischargethe 5' me from its periphery against the inner portions of theconvolutions of the wick means 37.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention I wish it understood that I may make certain changes thereinwithout departing from the seope oi my invention and that I am limitedonly in accordance with the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a, receptacle, a fan housinghaving an open bottom and an upper wall provided with a plurality oflouvers, an electric motor supported by said upper wall centrallythereof and having the armature shaft extending vertically downward, asubstantially horizontally disposed fan carried by said shaft, agenerally flat, horizontally disposed humidifying element comprisinginner and outer rings and wicking wound back and forth therebetweensupported under said fan, and means for maintainin said element moist.

2. In a device of t e character described, a receptacle, a tan housinghaving an open bottom and an upper wall provided with a plurality oflouvers, an electric motor supported by said upper wall centrallythereof and having the armature shaft extending vertically downward, asubstantially horizontally disposed tan carried by said shaft, agenerally flat, horizontally disposed humidii'ying element comprisinginner and outer rings and wicking wound back and forth therebetweensupported under said fan, and means including a funnel member carried bysaid armature shaft coaxial therewith and extending into said receptaclefor maintaining said element moist.

3. In a device of the character described, a generally flat,horizontally disposed fan housing, a horizontally disposed fan elementin said housing, said housing below said fan and comprising, inner andouter toothed rings, means connecting said rings together and wick meanswound back and forth on the teeth thereof, the teeth on the inner saidring being disposed slightly above those on the outer, a motor fordriving said fan, a hollow conical member driven by said motor forsupplying water to the said wick, the upper edge of said conical memberbeing so disposed as to deliver water by centrifugal action against saidinner toothed ring and the said wick means.

4. In a device of the character dscribed, a receptacle, a fan housingspaced above said receptacle, a fan in said housing, means for drivingsaid fan, a humidifying element associated with said fan housing andincluding inner and outer rings and wick means extending therebetween, aliquid elevating funnel member rotatable with said fan and having itsdischarging lip positioned below the top of the wick means, said innerring being of a width to extend far enough below said discharging lip toprevent any liquid from being thrown from such lip between said fanhousing and said receptacle.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

ARTHUR W. CONLEY.

a humidifying element in

